CivicMind Subscribers were notified of the attached, which is passed along to you:

Illinois State Bar Association

Law-Related Education Newsletter

April/May 2004

Statements, expressions of opinion or comments appearing herein are those of the editors or contributors, and not necessarily those of the Association or Committee.

ISBA HIGH SCHOOL MOCK TRIALS CONCLUDED!

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated or helped with the administration of the 2004 Illinois State Bar Association High School Mock Trial Invitational, which was held at the University of Illinois at Springfield on March 5 and 6, 2004.

Boylan Catholic High School, Rockford, achieved the award for the highest team average in the written law examination portion of the Mock Trial Invitational, with an average score of 42.8 of a possible score of 48. Boylan student James Woywod received an award for scoring 47 of 48 on the law exam.

St. Charles East High School receives honorable mention for a team average score of 42.6 of a possible score of 48. St. Charles student Jim Houswerth received an award for scoring 47 of 48 on the law exam.

The school placing first in the mock trial program was:

Timothy Christian High School of Elmhurst

The school placing second in the mock trial program was:

Boylan Catholic of Rockford

The schools placing third in the mock trial program were:

Oak Park River Forest High School and

St. Charles East High School

The top eight teams, in alphabetical order, were:

Boylan Catholic High School, Rockford

Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale

Maine South High School, Park Ridge

Mundelein High School, Mundelein

Noble Street Charter High School, Chicago

Oak Park River Forest High School, Oak Park

St. Charles East High School, St. Charles

Timothy Christian High School, Elmhurst

Outstanding Achievement Awards as Mock Trial Attorney were given to:

Adolphus Hall, DeLaSalle Alex George, Carmel

Alex Santoyo, Hubbard Alexandra Tauchman, Glenbard South

Andrew Friedman, Maine West Blake Seryce, Fenwick

Bonnie Keane, Chicago Christian Brian Schertz, Normal West

Candace Moore, West Aurora Carlton Lawson, Mt. Carmel

Chris Moree, Carmel Costa Nikolaides, Glenbard East

Dan Jensen, Boylan Catholic Davia Anderson, Homewood Flossmoor

Eliza Delgado, Wells Emily Gilman, Oak Park River Forest

Heide Urness, York Hillary Sinopoli, Maine East

Hubbell Hinkhouse, York Jaclyn Brown, Chatham Glenwood

Jessica Sender, Normal Community Jill Koenen, St. Charles East

Katie Poor, Hinsdale Central Kristi Katz, Maine South

Laurel Thomas, Normal West Marcel Taylor, DeLaSalle

Meredith Fileff, Homewood Flossmoor Mike Vandersteen, Illiana Christian

Nicholas Liedtke, Oak Park River Forest Peter Hill, St. Charles East

Peter Logli, Boylan Catholic Regina Rekus, Mundelein

Outstanding Achievement Awards as Mock Trial Witness were given to:

Alyssa Engel, Maine South Barrie Burren, Larkin

Brian Durfey, Wheaton Academy Casey Thompson, Lane Technical

Catherine Muelner, Larkin Christine Kunnath, Homewood Flossmoor

Cristina Moncayo, Maine West Dan Witvoet, Illiana Christian

Eli Schiff, Maine West George Sweeney, Fenwick

Jacara Jackson, Homewood Flossmoor Jake Grossman, St. Charles East

Joanna Slawick, Wheaton Academy John Murphy, Sacred Heart Griffin

Jordan Peterson, Hinsdale Central Julie Chwasz, Oak Park River Forest

Kaelyn Riley, Lexington Kelsey Perkins, Salem

Kendra Eberhardt, Roxana Kurt Olsen, Normal Community

Laura Wolf, Timothy Christian Lucy Vandenberg, York

Marcus Scott, Chicago Military Academy Bronzeville

Marisol Mastrangelo, Lane Technical Matt Phillips, Carmel

Matthew Phillips, Carmel Melanie Dorn, Illiana Christian

Michelle Beenes, Chicago Christian Mike Janosh, Mundelein

Natoya Roberts, Fenger Peter Ribic, Oak Park River Forest

Sofia Leo, Bartlett Tim Sluis, Chicago Christian

CENTRAL ILLINOIS JUDGE/ATTORNEY VOLUNTEERS

Without whom this program would be impossible!

Michelle Anderson Hon. Thomas Appleton

Lee Beneze Michelle Blackburn

Edwin Boggess Joe Borsberry

Bill Brown Gary Cline

Charles Colburn Randy Cox

Roland Cross Brian Day

Alexandra de Saint Phalle Carl Draper

James Drozdz Anna Evans

Lindsay Evans David Fernandes

Ari Fisz John Gleason

Eliott Hedin Jamie Hellinga

Grady Holley Candy Johnson

Tom Kelty Andrew Kleczek

Steve Matrisch Matt McLaughlin

Karl Menninger Saul Morse

Robert Mueller Hon. Sue Myerscough

Margaret Noe Brett Olmstead

Jan Paul Miller Steve Perbix

Dennis Rendleman Michael Robinson

Karen Root Stephan Roth

Dale Schemp Scott Sievers

Stephanie Straughn Charles Watson

Richard Wray Christine Zeman

ISBA Committee on Law-Related Education for the Public

Lynda Marquardt, Chair Mary Milano, Vice-Chair

Jay Reece, Secretary Colleen McLaughlin, Ex-Officio

Hon. Harris Agnew, Retired Judge David Anders

Kim Anderson Rex Brown

Thomas Carlisle Kelli Childress Politte

Hon. John Coady Sheila Fahey

Camela Gardner Carl Gilmore

Heather Jackson John Kauffman

Frank Kopecky Ann Pictor

Steven Skelton Kelli Smith

Zee Williams

Mark D. Hassakis, Board of Governors Liaison

ISBA STAFF

Paula Magdich

Vicki Runkel

Donna Schechter

Jason Young, Intern

Mary McDermott, General Counsel

Melinda Bentley, First Assistant Counsel

Selina Thomas, Assistant Counsel

OTHER ASSISTANCE

James Caruso, Test Administrator

ON LINE RESOURCES:

CivicMind Subscribers were notified of the attached, which are passed along to you.

HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE CITIZEN

http://www.civicmind.com/qcalls.htm

THE CIVIC MIND CALENDAR

http://www.civicmind.com/dates.htm

THE CIVIC MIND AWARD - YMCA Civic Engagement Initiative

http://www.civicmind.com/wymca.htm

The YMCA Civic Engagement Initiative provides civic engagement skills, especially for young people, through an online guide, fellows program, and web site.

DIRECTORY TO LEGAL CASES - UPDATED

http://www.civicmind.com/cc2003.htm

BRINGING TERRORISTS TO JUSTICE - UPDATED

http://www.civicmind.com/intnews.htm

If you have comments or suggestions, please email to: TheCivicMind@aol.com

Wendy Bay Lewis, Tel 406.582.8828

In Addition:

The U.S. Department of Education is taking steps to combat identify theft. College students are just one of the groups that can be easy targets. The Department has launched www.ed.gov/misused which tells you how to better protect yourself from identify theft.

The U.S. Department of Education has also unveiled its new Web site for the Character Education and Civic Engagement Technical Assistance Center (CETAC). The site is a resource for educators, parents and the community at large. Visit the Center at www.cetac.org

Education Planet - For Teachers, By Teachers

Education Planet delivers powerful, easy to use web-based applications to K-12 teachers. Education Planet's K-12 resource portal (educationplanet.com) also provides teachers, students and parents with convenient access to quality, teacher approved educational resources. Visit Education Planet at http://www.educationplanet.com

· Education World is another resource for teachers looking for timely lesson plans on-line. http://www.educationworld.com

Anybody Can Be President (Well, Almost Anybody)

by Laurie Spieler

(Lesson Plan - 3rd Grade; however, the ideas in this plan are easily adaptable for other grade levels.)

The objectives of this plan are to teach students the three prerequisites to becoming a United States president. It will explore and dispel some common misperceptions about the requirements for the presidency and will elicit the students' thoughts and discussion on what criteria they think is important for the president of the United States. It will also motivate student interest in presidential elections and prompt further research into the topic of presidential qualifications.

First, tell the students that anyone can try to become president of the United States as long as they meet three basic requirements. These requirements are set out in the U.S. Constitution. Have each student write down on a piece of paper the three requirements they think all presidential candidates must meet. After students have had the time to write down their guesses, open up a discussion on the topic. Write the students' ideas on the chalkboard. Once you have listed a variety of answers, take a class vote to see which items the majority of the students feel are the most important requirements for a president.

Next, inform the students of the three actual criteria presidential candidates must meet.

a. The person must have been born in the United states, or be a U.S. citizen.

Does everyone meet this requirement?

Does anyone in the class know someone who would not meet the first requirement and therefore could not be president? (Perhaps the students' grandparents or great-grand parents were born in another country, or they know foreign exchange students or celebrities from foreign countries such as Princess Diana, Wayne Gretzky or Elton John.)

b. The person must have lived in the United States for 14 years.

Does everyone in the classroom meet the second requirement? (Probably not if they are your average third graders.)

Do their parents meet this requirement?

Why would this be a requirement before someone can become president?

c. The person must be at least 35 years of age.

Does anyone in the classroom meet this requirement?

Do any of the students have parents that meet this last requirement?

Why is this a requirement for the presidency?

Should there be a limit as to how old a president can be? Why or why not?

EXTRA CREDIT - In what year should someone have been born in order to qualify for the presidency in 2004?

Topics for Discussion:

- Discuss some misperceptions the students might have had about the requirements of becoming president. For example, did anyone think that presidents had to go to college? Did anyone think that only men would be president; or only whites?

- The three requirements set out in the Constitution are only minimum requirements. People would not vote for someone if those were his or her only qualifications for the presidency. What other factors, which are not technically requirements, are important for presidential candidates?

- Should they know how to speak a foreign language? Should they have governmental experience? Should they be tall? Should they be lawyers? What other qualifications are important?

- Since the requirements for being president are fairly easy to meet, why don't more people try to become president?

Media scrutiny?

Responsibility for an entire country?

Cost of campaign?

Threat of assassination?

- Topics for further discussion or research could include:

Which president(s) never graduated from college?

Who was the youngest president?

Who was the oldest president?

What kinds of jobs did presidents have before becoming president?

What kinds of jobs did presidents have after leaving office?

Election Information on-line:

C-SPAN in the Classroom has some timely information on elections and teaching about the process at http://www.cspan.org/classroom/

Wondering about how the USA got started? Visit Colonial Hall at http://www.colonialhall.com/biography.php and read biographies of our founding fathers, and the documents they created. There are also biographies of some of the wives at http://www.colonialhall.com/biodoiwives.php

The Junior State of America is the largest student-run high school organization in America. It is filled with members that are interested in politics, government, debate, the law, and education. What is so special about JSA is that students organize every aspect of it, from the school chapter level to national administration. http://www.jsa.org/

And the ABA always has a wonderful set of resources of the public at http://www.abanet.org/publiced/home.html

POINT OF LAW

PROTECTING YOUR VALUABLES WHEN TRAVELING

Among the services some hotels offer their guests is safeguarding of personal belongings such as expensive jewelry or cameras. If you carry such items when traveling, it is a good idea to ask the hotel to keep your valuables in the hotel's safe. You should know, however, that a hotel is only liable up to a maximum of $500 for property theft. For property of higher value you must have a separate written agreement with the hotel management that stipulates the hotel will assume liability above the $500 limit.

CONSUMER PROTECTION STARTS AT HOME

Shopping for merchandise in the comfort of your own home may be convenient, but door-to-door sales can also have drawbacks. If you make such a purchase then find you are paying too much for the convenience, or are otherwise dissatisfied, there is a solution. The law says that if the seller of a product costing $25 or more initially solicited you at your home, you may cancel the sale within three business days following the date of the sale. To cancel, you must inform the seller in writing and you must return the goods that were delivered in their original condition. The company is then required to refund any money you paid for the goods, including a down payment, and cancel the agreement.

LEGAL INFO ON THE INTERNET VARIES FROM STATE TO STATE

As an Illinois consumer, when you seek legal advice or information on the Internet, be sure that the information is based on the law in Illinois (or the place where the legal matter arises, if it is not in Illinois). Laws may vary greatly from state to state. Except for matters governed exclusively by federal law (like bankruptcy and federal tax issues), the law in one state does not control situations in other states. Just because people are able to create a web page doesn't mean that they are legal experts! Be wary, and be skeptical. Don't rely on what one web site says as the definitive legal answer. Look for other sources to verify the information.

CRADLE LESSON PLAN - 71554AG

Your Place in the Scheme of Things

Created by Dennis W. Beadles, Evansville North High School, Evansville, Indiana

OVERVIEW: Under the U.S. Constitution, the power to organize elections and to establish governmental and political districts is reserved to the States. Most states have established the precinct as the basic unit in defining state and local legislative districts, as the basic unit in the structure of political parties and as the basic unit for conducting elections. The purpose of this lesson is to allow students to discover that where they live, their township or ward and precinct, is the key to unlocking how various governmental/political districts are defined and in determining where they will go to vote. Students also will have

the opportunity to identify local governmental/political offices and officials as determined by the precinct in which they reside.

GOALS: As a result of this lesson, students will:

1. Identify their township or ward and precinct, its boundaries, and the location of their home and polling place within the precinct.

2. Determine their districts for the state senate, state house of representatives, county commissioners, county council, city council, township offices and the names of the people presently serving in these elected positions.

AUDIENCE: This lesson is presently being used in a senior-level government class. All or parts of this lesson could be used at the

middle-school (8th or 9th grade level). This lesson, at least the drawing of the precinct map, could be used in a geography class. Further, the geography class could also expand the lesson and draw maps of the governmental districts defined by the precincts.

TIME TO COMPLETE: This lesson will take approximately three days for the students to complete. A fourth day is required to discuss what the

students have discovered.

MATERIALS:

1. Sheets of plain white paper.

2. Township or ward and precinct maps for the county, city or the

area from which the school's population is drawn.

3. List of polling places in the previous or upcoming election for the precincts needed in number two above.

4. List or table showing the district numbers of the various

state and local offices for each township or ward and precinct.

5. List or resources available for students to be able to

identify the names of local, state and national officials and

offices.

6. A "Government Fact sheet".

7. List of precinct committeemen and county officers of the two

major political parties.

PROCEDURE

1. Obtain the following items from the county voter's registration office, the county elections office, the county surveyor's office or the Democratic/Republican Party headquarters in the area.

a. Wall map showing the precincts in the school's population area or an area black line map that could be used to make a transparency of a large area, such as a township or ward.

b. Individual maps of each precinct in the school's population area showing street names and boundaries.

c. List showing governmental districts by ward/precinct.

d. List of governmental officials names and offices.

e. List of polling places by ward/precinct.

f. List of Democratic and Republican precinct committeemen.

2. Begin the lesson by utilizing the wall map or the transparencies of the townships or wards and precincts in the school's population. Briefly discuss how the county or city is divided into precincts and the number of voters that comprise a precinct. Have the students get a general idea in which township or ward and precinct they might live from the large area map or transparency.

3. Divide the class into six or eight teams (usually three or four students per team). Give each team a packet of materials.

4. Give each student a plain sheet of paper and a government fact sheet.

5. Using the team packets and the materials within the packet have the students find, sketch or tract the precinct in which they live. (When the students get into the team packets with the individual precinct maps, they will be able to identify exactly which precinct is the one in which they reside.) The map that they make should be neat and all text should be printed. After drawing or sketching their precinct area, have students show the location of their house and polling place for their precinct on their precinct map by drawing appropriate symbols for each place.

6. After students have completed the precinct map, the students should use the materials in the team packets and any other resources necessary to complete the information on the government fact sheet.

7. At the end of the lesson, after all students have completed the map and fact sheet, call on each student to go to a county or city map, point out their precinct and the name the various districts (numbers) that result from living in that precinct.

EVALUATION

Map can be evaluated on neatness, accuracy and format. The government fact sheet can be evaluated on accuracy. It may be best to grade the fact sheets in class, especially if students in the school population live in an area where many districts for local or state offices are different. (For example in the school in which I teach there are three state legislative districts in the school population, two state senate districts, two county commissioner/school board districts, four townships, three county council districts and four city council districts.) By grading in class students gain the idea that where they reside is related to where and what offices they vote for on Election Day.

TIPS FOR THE TEACHER

This lesson must be modified to fit your particular situation or

Geographic area. The most important concept for students to learn from this lesson is that the basic unit of politics/government in the United States is the precinct. Having an idea of how big that unit is and how they, through their precinct, fit into the scheme of things is what this lesson should be about. Having the students search for the information from the packets will help the students remember the names and offices longer. Working in teams will help students who are not sure how to proceed get assistance from fellow classmates so they can successfully complete the lesson.

* * * * *

Distributed by the Center for Research and Development in Law-Related Education, Wake Forest University School of Law, 2714 Henning DR, Winston-Salem NC 27106; 1-800-437-1054.

POLLING PLACES - PRIMARY ELECTION - YOUR COUNTY

Obtain list from State Board of Elections http://www.elections.state.il.us/

GOVERNMENT FACTSHEET

Student's Name:

Address:

Zip Code:

1. POLITICAL PARTY ORGANIZATION

Number of Precincts in _________________County _____ in the city _____

Your township precinct or ward precinct number _____

Precinct's Polling Place:

Address of Polling Place:

Democratic Precinct Committeeman:

Republican Precinct Committeeman:

Chairman, Democratic Central Committee:

Chairman, Republican Central Committee:

2. TOWNSHIP GOVERNMENT

Number of townships in County _____ Your township _____

Trustee:

Assessor:

3. CITY GOVERNMENT (Only if you live in the city)

Mayor, City of_________________:

Number of Members on the _____________ City Council _____

Number of Wards in the city _____ Your Ward Number _____

Your Ward's City Council Representative:

City Council At-Large Members (Elected city-wide)

4. COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Number of Counties in State _____ Your County _____

Number of County Commissioners in your County _____

(Commissioners - Elected county-wide; must live in a certain

district)

Your Commissioner District:

Names of Commissioners by District:

Number of Members on the County Council _____

Your County Council District Number _____

Your County Council District Representative:

County Council At-Large Members (Elected county-wide):

5. STATE OFFICIALS

Governor:

Lieutenant Governor:

Chief Justice, Illinois Supreme Court:

Number of Members in the Illinois House of Representatives _____

Your State Representative (House) District Number _____

Your State Representative:

Number of Members in the Illinois Senate _____

Your State Senate District Number _____

Your State Senator:

6. NATIONAL OFFICIALS

President of the United States:

Vice President of the United States:

Number of Members in the United States Senate _____

Senior U.S. Senator:

Junior U.S. Senator:

Number of Members in the United States House of Representatives

Your Congressional District Number _____

Your Congressional Representative:

Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court:

LANDMARK CASE LAW - Historic Preservation

In November of 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered what is now known as the Gettysburg Address, to dedicate the national cemetery where the battle of Gettysburg had taken place. The battle itself was historical; and the work to establish the site as an historic landmark, preserved for future generations, is a story in itself.

When the battlefield became a popular destination for tourists and researchers, a tram company built a rail line to transport visitors through and around the battlefield, which resulted in legal action to preserve the site.

See U.S. v. Gettysburg Electric R. Co. 160 U.S. 668 (1896)

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=160&invol=668